A wide variety of brackets are known for the purpose of securing an antenna support pole to the eves or walls of a house. In a typical installation, the lower end of the pole is fixed to the ground, and a bracket including a U-bolt is used to fix a central point on the pole to the eve of the house. Due to the short length of the bracket, the installer is indeed fortunate if he is able to line up one side of the bracket with a wall stud or other beam to provide a sturdy anchor point. The other side of the bracket must be anchored in thin siding that provides very little strength to the connection. This type of fixture is likely to come loose over a period of time as the siding weathers, and the antenna is subjected to wind loads which create high lateral forces at the bracket.
In this type of mounting, the U-bolt is tightened to hold the pole firmly against the bracket. However, if the U-bolt is tightened to its proper torque, it can actually put a crimp in the support pole and weaken it at its most crucial point. On the other hand, if the U-bolt is not properly tightened the pole may be able to twist back and forth in the wind and permit misdirection of the antenna. This is, of course, undesirable because the owner may have to incur the expense of a service call to have a technician realign and tighten the system.
Other problems have been encountered when attempting to install a bracket at the same angle or pitch as the roof on a house. Prior devices that have employed clamps of one type or another have the disadvantage that they may not fit properly against or around a vertical pole. An associated problem is encountered is where a lateral offset is required to mount a bracket flush against a wall surface, and have the pole clear a roof overhang. Since the amount of offset can, and often does, vary from structure to structure, prior devices have either been unsuitable, or were adjustable via weak linkage arrangements that did not provide a rugged and sturdy mount. In both of these cases the installer had to rig up a special fixture on the spot, or was required to carry a large inventory or special parts which might or might not be used on any given installation job.
An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved antenna pole mounting bracket that obviates most all of the foregoing problems.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved pole mounting bracket assembly having a base that allows attachment to at least two structural beams of a house.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved bracket assembly of the type described that has a clamping element which can accommodate a plurality of different standard pole sizes, while centering the pole in a rigid position.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved antenna pole bracket that can be adjusted to accommodate various offsets of the pole axis with respect to the base of the bracket which is attached to a structural wall.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved antenna pole mount where the base bracket can be attached at different angles with respect to horizontal, while clamping the support pole in the vertical.